Int. J. Advanced Networking and Applications 2868 Volume: 07 Issue: 05 Pages: 2868-2875 (2016) ISSN: 0975-0290

Web OS in : A Case study

Ranjan Kumar Mondal Department of Computer Science & Engineering, University of Kalyani, Kalyani, India E-mail - [email protected]

Debabrata Sarddar Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science & Engineering, University of Kalyani, Kalyani, India E-mail – [email protected]

------ABSTRACT------Like a Server Operating System (SOS) and a Cloud Operating System (COS) are responsible for computing resources. In a server the OS is responsible for managing the various hardware resources inside a server’s frame. A Web Operating System serves the same purpose like traditional server does. Instead of managing a single machine’s resources, a cloud Operating System is responsible for managing the cloud infrastructure. But unlike a traditional Operating System, a Web Operating System has to do everything at scale. In present paper we would discuss and study Web OS.

Keywords: Web OS, Cloud Computing, Cloud OS, Virtual Desktop ------Date of Submission: March 10, 2016 Date of Acceptance: March 24, 2016 ------

I. INTRODUCTION aggregation. The many various real applications exhibit very different requirements. A Web Operating System is a Web platform which allows the user to use a virtual Desktop However, the heterogeneous and dynamic nature of the through a Web browser over the Internet rather than Web infrastructure ensures that it is impossible to using any particular local traditional operating provide a complete catalog of all resources system. This incredible technology allows a user to available on the Web. Web OS has an applications access their own virtual desktop from anywhere around that are geographically distributed, available, scalable, the world, without even using a network like with a and reconfiguring. It will include features for resource remote PC. In addition, user are essentially using discovery, collaboration, storage, execution, the Internet to work as a desktop, rather than an management, authentication and security. actually desktop computer. II. AN OVERVIEW OF CLOUD Web Operating System is an open source Web desktop COMPUTING: following the cloud computing concept. It acts as a platform for Web applications composed by using the Cloud is a simplified Operating System running on a Cloud Computing concepts. It includes a desktop Web browser providing access to a variety of Web- environment with applications and system. It is based applications that allow the user to perform many accessible by portable devices via smart phone simple tasks without booting a full-scale Operating also. Every Cloud Operating System lets user to upload System. The Operating System is designed for Mobile files and work with them no matter where user is. It Internet Devices and PCs that are mainly used to contains applications like Word Processor, PDF reader, browse the Internet. From Cloud the user can quickly and many more developed by the Cloud vendors. boot into the main OS, because Cloud continues

booting the main OS in the background. Development of an OS enabling worldwide computing is a current issue nowadays. Such an OS is called the Cloud computing is anything or/and everything in Web OS. Most Internet users use Web OS to download online. Online is all in Cloud Computing. Cloud applications remotely. The common model of these Computing is all based on Internet. Cloud computing services consists of client-server or master-slave refers to a system in online where services are delivered configuration with a network as a media. The use of over the Internet. Anybody can access through Internet Web resources is highly motivated by different reasons. into cloud computing world. These include reliability, availability, fault tolerance, load sharing, function sharing, and performance Int. J. Advanced Networking and Applications 2869 Volume: 07 Issue: 05 Pages: 2868-2875 (2016) ISSN: 0975-0290

Cloud computing is known as Internet based computing, with shared resources, software and 2. On a single host machine, a user may have separate information is provided to computers and other virtual desktops for different applications. One desktop devices. Cloud Computing is a computing in which might feature applications for graphic design, for services and software are provided over the Internet example, and another might feature business which is very cheap and affordable. applications.

Cloud computing is a technology that uses the IV. WEB OS OVERVIEW internet and central remote servers to maintain data and applications. Cloud computing allows consumers Web OS is designed as a distributed system. The Web and businesses to use applications without installation OS framework enables a new paradigm for Internet and access their personal files at any computer with services. Web OS goal is to provide a platform internet access. which allows the user to benefit from the computational potential offered by the Web. It’s aimed Example of cloud computing is salesforce.com, Yahoo is to make available to all sites of the network resources mail or Google mail etc. Clients does not need software to execute computations for which local resources are or a server to use them. The server and email missing[1]. management software is all over the Internet and is totally managed by the cloud service provider The kernel of a Web OS node is a system, a reactive Yahoo, Google etc. The consumer gets to use the system responding to requests from users or system. A software alone and enjoy the benefits. Cloud Web OS-node integrates user, server, and applications. computing is on demand access to virtualized IT It is capable of providing a set of services, which can resources that are housed outside of clients own pass on to each other requests when appropriate. Again, data center, shared by others, simple to use, paid because of Web is dynamically changing, there exist for via monthly subscription which is very low in cost, some warehouses that associated with the Web OS node and accessed over the Web with many features in it. provide the necessary information and components for The basic concept of cloud computing is using meeting requested services. Each Web OS node is software via the Internet instead of installing it. using its own warehouses to store and continuously update information about the node and available Cloud Computing defines a software that manages services and resources. collections of infrastructure as an Operating environment created in a user’s computer from an on- line application stored on the cloud and run through a IV.1.WEB OS Web browser. A Web OS is a Web-based app that emulates the III. VIRTUAL DESKTOP: application capabilities of an operating system. It's basically a virtual desktop that gives user communication tools (like email), productivity tools 1. A virtual desktop is an individual user's interface in a (like word processing) and ability to play games and virtualized environment. The virtualized desktop is any other application that user would find on a typical stored on a remote server rather than locally. OS like Microsoft Windows. But that's not all - a Web Desktop virtualization system is a software that OS should be an expandable platform (just like separates the physical machine from the software and Windows) that gives developers the right tools (like presents an isolated operating system for APIs) to develop new applications and add new users. Desktop virtualization tools include Microsoft utilities. Virtual PC, VMware Workstation and Parallels Desktop for Mac. Web OS is network based service where a user can access his system through network. It is an introduction The benefits of include: of one or more operating system in the category of Web operating systems. Web OS was introduced as a Cost savings because resources can be shared and thought that one might be able to play with application, allocated on an as-needed basis. store data, for sharing on the web from anywhere. So a More efficient use of resources and energy. Web OS does. Today Web OS are capable of storing Improved data integrity because backup is centralized. large amount of data as large as 30 GB. User can share Centralized administration. applications. Fewer compatibility issues.

Knowledge workers who use mostly business software applications are good candidates for desktop virtualization. The model is not generally viable for users with high resource demands. Int. J. Advanced Networking and Applications 2870 Volume: 07 Issue: 05 Pages: 2868-2875 (2016) ISSN: 0975-0290

IV.2.THAT WEB OS DOES V. WEBOS IMPLEMENTATION:

In these systems, a company provides computer services to users through an Internet connection. The provider runs a system of computers that include application servers and databases. With some systems, people access the applications using Web browsers. With other systems, users must download a program that creates a system-specific client. A client is software that accesses information or services from other software. In either case, users access programs that are stored not on their own computers, but on the Web.

In traditional operating systems, user has to install applications to computer. The applications would exist on computer's hard disk drive. A Web OS might look a lot like a traditional OS, but it doesn't manage user computer's hardware or software. A Web OS allows user to access applications stored not on user computer, but on the Web. The applications exist wholly or in part on Web servers within a particular provider network. When user saves information in an application, user might not store it on user computer. Instead, user saves the information to databases connected to the Internet. Some Web operating systems also give user the option to save information to user local hard disk drive. Our initial implementation is split into the following pieces: IV.3.HISTORY OF WEB OS Web OS: A system allowing applications to read and The Web OS is a computing research project which write to the URL name space. Consistency is available started in 1996 at the University of California, Berkeley to applications requiring it through protocol. and Continued at Duke University, University of Texas at Austin, and the University of Washington. Active Names: A mechanism for logically moving service functionality (such as load balancing) from the The Web OS is first named as HyperOffice and then as server into the network. MyWebOS and then after one year it has been named as Web OS. Web Operating Systems are also commonly Secure Remote Execution: We believe applications referred to as Web desktops or Webtops. It is a multiple will be running on remote nodes for users. Assurances integrated built-in applications that allow the user to must be provided ensuring that applications are not able easily manage and organize her data from any location. to violate the integrity of the remote server.

IV.4.WEB OS MOTIVATION Security and Authentication: Applications accessing remote files must authenticate their identities before access to protected files. The goal of our project is to provide a set of OS services to wide area applications, including Transactions: Applications must have well-defined mechanisms, process execution, resource management, failure modes. For example, an aborted remote agent authentication, and security. On a user single machine, should not leave a user's local file system in an application developers can depend on the local inconsistent state. operating system to provide these abstractions. In the wide area application developers are forced to build these abstractions or to do without. This ad-hoc CLIENT-SERVER COMMUNICATION. approach wastes programmer effort and system resources. To address these problems, Web OS provides Web OS use a two-tier architecture in which one basic operating systems services needed to build machine acts as both application and presentation applications that are geographically distributed, server. The client is the second tier. The application available, scalable, and configuring. server hosts virtual machines that run programs and push them to a presentation server, which manages the client connection. Int. J. Advanced Networking and Applications 2871 Volume: 07 Issue: 05 Pages: 2868-2875 (2016) ISSN: 0975-0290

The client runs application and passes user input back Photo editing tool: the availability of a tool that allows to the application server. the user to edit images. E-mail client: the presence of an email client. Client-side WEB OS makes use of several technologies Instant Messaging: the availability of an integrated on the client side: instant messenger. Calendar: the existence of a calendar. interface. Collaboration - Conferencing tools: the presence of engine handles communication with the online collaboration tools (such as VoIP) server asynchronously, using AJAX. Mini-Browser: the integration of a Web browser File storage: the amount of space if available to store server. JavaScript is used to provide client-side-only files online interactions. File sharing support: the support for file sharing with other users. Server-side Desktop Search: the presence of a desktop search Web OS is written in PHP on the server side, and engine within the Web OS provides multiple high level abstractions. The goal of these is to make it easy to write new applications, and VII.1.CHARACTERISTICS OF WEB avoid dealing with low-level primitives. Web OS is OPERATING SYSTEM: also a development framework. Free sign up for personal use VI. THE GOAL OF WEB OPERATING Online application services SYSTEMS No maintain charge and security cost Access to any Website Being able to work from everywhere, regardless of Work as a social networking whether or not user are using a full-featured, modern While the operating system will work as well as the computer, a mobile gadget, or a completely obsolete Website. PC. Sharing resources easily between different work centers at company, or working from different places VIII. BENEFITS OF THE CLOUD and countries on the same projects. OPERATING SYSTEM: Always enjoying the same applications with the same open formats, and forgetting the usual compatibility Worldwide availability of Cloud Operating Systems: problems between office suites and traditional operating As it’s available through internet. systems. Being able to continue working if you have to Requires only browser: A browser with Java support leave user local computer or if it just crashes, without is more than enough. losing data or time: Just log in to user Cloud Operating Dynamic content and design: Interface can be System from another place and continue working. customized according user needs, windows are floating so that they can be repositioned. EXAMPLES OF WEB OPERATING SYSTEM Extensive list Applications: Office applications, Multimedia applications, Network applications and Web OS site: http://www.Beta.cloudo.com Chat applications etc. all are available. http://www.Oos.cc Remote storage facility: Through the file browser user http://www.eyeos.info can store files over the internet and edit them as user http://www.lucid-desktop.org/ want. http://www.amoebaos.org/ Browser and Platform independent: All browsers Email site: http://www.gmail.com and all operating systems are supported. Online storage site: http://www.mega.com SERVICES OF WEB OS PROVIDES: VII. FEATURES AVAILABLE IN WEBOS: Web OS provides: Open API: the typology of Application Programming Calendars, Interface that it uses E-mail, Open-source: the possibility for users and developers File management, to contribute to the enrichment of the Web OS by Games, creating new applications and widgets Instant messaging programs, Integrated apps: the applications that the Web OS Photo, video and audio editing programs, features by default (text editor) Spreadsheet programs, Audio-video Player: the availability of a media player Word processing programs etc. within the Web OS

Int. J. Advanced Networking and Applications 2872 Volume: 07 Issue: 05 Pages: 2868-2875 (2016) ISSN: 0975-0290

ADVANTAGES OFFERED BY A WEB OS X. CONCLUSION

A cloud OS is not simple to implement. There are two Building a highly scalable system is not a very easy reasons for this. First, the sheer scale of the cloud task. We have to invest in a great deal of engineering infrastructure pushes the technology limit. Few efforts to make sure not only the overall system, but companies have had the experience of managing such a also every single component are robust and scalable. In big infrastructure, and the cloud providers are forced to this paper, we want to show a new way of making the build new solutions from the ground up. For example, systems, a cloud vendor has to spend a large amount of Google designed Big Table to store a large amount of efforts to make services scalable, reliable than other semi structured data. Similarly, Amazon designed implementations. Dynamo to manage storage and built their own management infrastructure to support their Web Web OS has the potential of being an important services API. Second, a cloud has to be robust and distributed computing system for the Internet. It scalable because it is designed to be shared by promises supporting applications that are hundreds or thousands of people instead of just a few geographically distributed with high reliability, users on a PC. Some advantages are as follows: security, scalability, and manageability. Need not to install OS No hard drive with more memory Some research and prototyping of Web OS have been No external hard disk underway to overcome some of the challenges and No one software to be installed difficulties pertaining to the design and implementation No times loss to install software of such a system. No extra charge to buy software Software to be updated latest version always ACKNOWLEDGMENT Piracy decreased No crash any software We would like to express our gratitude to Dr. Kalyani One type of software will be used at a time (like media Mali, Head of Department, Computer Science and player, either vlc or wmp) Engineering of University of Kalyani. Without her No software will be shared by copy among users assistance and guidance, we would not have been able Always time saving to direct use application software to make use of the university’s infrastructure and No carry laptop from home to workplace laboratory facilities for conducting our research. Online Backup. REFERENCES DISADVANTAGES [1]: Oliver Krone, Simon Schubiger. WebRes: Towards There is always to be online. a Web Operating System. Kommunikation in Slow bandwidth hazard Verteilten Systems 1999: 418-429. Risky for service provider shutdown [2]: Peter G Kropf. Overview of the Web Operating IX. FUTURE THOUGHTS OF CLOUD System (Web OS) project, 1999 OPERATING SYSTEMS [3]: Nazib A. Kofahi, Ahmad T. Al-Taani web operating system and computing on the web. In near future, most people won't do their work with Information Technology journal 4(4), 2005. 360- software running on a general-purpose PC. Instead, they 366. will work with Internet-based applications running from smart phones and tablets. [4]: MohitJain,Mohd. Danish, HemantYadav, Cloud Cloud computing allows customers to have easy, “ Computing and Online Operating System , IJCTA, instant, and access to tools, data and applications ” Mohit Jain et al, Int. J. Comp. Tech. Appl., Vol 2 they need when they want to use from any networked (6), pp-1795-1799. computer even mobile devices like laptop, smart phone or tablet. We introduced the Cloud operating system or [5]: www.wikipedia.com Web operating system that aims to provide an expressive set of resource management options and [6]: www.eyeos.com metrics to applications to facilitate programming in the

Cloud, while at the same time exposing a programming [7]: www.glideos.com interface providing developers with an access to a scalable computing and networking environment, [8]: www.startforce.com allowing the implementation of robust, elastic and reliable distributed applications. [9]: www.technical.com

Int. J. Advanced Networking and Applications 2873 Volume: 07 Issue: 05 Pages: 2868-2875 (2016) ISSN: 0975-0290

AUTHORS PROFILE Annexure: I

Ranjan Kumar Mondal received Types of Web OS his M.Tech in Computer Science There are many WebOS. and Engineering from University of AstraNOS, BeDesk, cmyOS, Desktoptwo, DoxBoard, Kalyani, Kalyani, Nadia; and B.Tech GCOE X, eyeOs, Glide, G.ho.st, goowy, jooce, in Computer Science and mybooo, myGoya, OOS, Parakey, Psych Desktop, Engineering from Government Purefect Desktop, SSOE , StartForce, Xindesk, College of Engineering and Textile Nivio,Webdesk, Webdows, Widgets Gadgets, YouOS, technology, Berhampore, ZimDesk, DesktopOnDemand, Free Live OS Zoo. Murshidabad, West Bengal under West Bengal University of Technology, West Bengal, India. At present, he is a Ph.D research scholar in Computer 1. Cloudo Science and Engineering from University of Kalyani. His research interests include Cloud Computing, Wireless and Mobile Communication Systems.

Debabrata Sarddar is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, University of Kalyani, Kalyani, Cloudo is a free Cloud Operating System that lives on Nadia, West Bengal, India. He the Internet. This means that we can reach our completed his PhD from Jadavpur documents, photos, music and all other files no matter University. He did his M. Tech in where we are, from any computer or mobile phone or Computer Science & Engineering from DAVV, Indore tablet. It features an open, powerful, stable and versatile in 2006, and his B.E in Computer Science & development environment. We can easily share a set of Engineering from NIT, Durgapur in 2001. He has files, images or set up a joint account with friends and published more than 75 research papers in different colleagues. journals and conferences. His research interests include Link: http://www.cloudo.com/ Cloud Computing, Wireless and Mobile Communication Systems. 2. eyeOS

eyeOS is a disruptive desktop totally usable from a Web browser. It includes an office suite and some collaboration applications, as well as a full framework. It is Open Source so we can host our own system, keeping all our data under control. eyeOS is one of the most used Web Operating System. With eyeOS we can build our private Cloud Desktop. Using eyeOSWeb Runner we can open our eyeOS files from our browser with our local apps and save them automatically on our cloud. In eyeOS 2.0 we can work collaboratively with other users simultaneously in the same document. We will get privacy and cloud computing at its best. Link: http://www.eyeos.org

Int. J. Advanced Networking and Applications 2874 Volume: 07 Issue: 05 Pages: 2868-2875 (2016) ISSN: 0975-0290

3. Glide OS 6. myGOYA

myGOYA is a Flash based online desktop that allows to access to all data anywhere in the world. It doesn’t Glide OS is a cloud computing solution. Glide is a free require installation and contains the following tools: web os with 30GBs of storage. Users can upgrade extra Webmail, Calendar, Private Messenger, Contacts, Chat, storage with cost per year. The Glide OS provides Notes and more. automatic file and application compatibility across Link: http://www.mygoya.de/us/ devices and operating systems. With Glide OS user also get the Apps helping user to synchronize home and 7. Xindesk work files. Link: http://www.glideos.com/

4. Lucid Desktop

Xindesk is a free, solution for making all our files, Lucid comes with lots of applications. Customer can calendars, contacts and other data accessible and in browse photos, listen to music, and edit documents. It sync wherever we are. It’s pretty much like accessing also comes with an RSS feed reader, some games, a our computer from any standard Web browser, from a calculator, and a bash-like terminal application. We can computer, a mobile phone or any other device install additional third-party applications. connected to the Internet. The core of Xindesk is a Web Lucid is a free, open source Web desktop, or WebOS OS featuring application that opens and saves the that lets us access users media, office documents, and standard office formats. other files anywhere stay up to date with Twitter, RSS Xindesk is the first Web operating system that works feeds, and what’s happening on the Web create great easily, even for people without deep computer Web applications in ridiculously short amounts of time knowledge. The Web OS is an open platform, just like Link: http://www.lucid-desktop.org Windows and Mac OS. This enables anyone to develop new applications. 5. OOS Link: http://www.xindesk.com/

8. Starforce

iCube OOS is a free Online Operating System that provides an amazing number of useful applications and services: Organize users files, documents and personal With Starforceuser can run Windows apps such as MS data from anywhere around the world. The primary goal Office, pdf etc. We can also stitch in Web apps such as is to provide to users the highest level of usability and Google. Starforce also contains native apps such as all necessary means to facilitate online collaboration. Email and Calendar. The combination of Windows For instance, intuitive drag and drop operations are used Apps, Web Apps, and Startforce Apps makes Startforce wherever they are expedient and user can share user Web Desktop the most comprehensive and functional data with other users. virtual desktop solution on the market. Link: http://oos.cc/ Startforce Web Desktop offers a familiar user interface with a full desktop experience within a Web browser. Startforce supports multi-windowing, drag and drop, right click icons, themes, start menu, shortcuts, etc. IT can onboard users rapidly without any additional burden from a training and support perspective. Link: http://www.starforce.com/

Int. J. Advanced Networking and Applications 2875 Volume: 07 Issue: 05 Pages: 2868-2875 (2016) ISSN: 0975-0290

Annexure: II Mobile Support – if users can access to data also with mobile devices Comparison Table Apps Manager – if the Web OS allows users to add/remove applications Before we take an in depth look at Web applications, we have created a simple comparison table with some Developer Tools if application provides tools or important features of each Web application. More – documentation that developers can use to build their precisely, we have included in the table the following own apps. characteristics:

Virtual Space (if it’s specified) – most of the services does not specify in registration step the available space Live Collaboration Support – if this service allows multiple user to access and work with files stored on Web OS

Offline Mode – this service allows user to use the OS also when the Web connection isn’t available

Localization – if the Web OS is available in multiple languages

Service Virtual Space Live Offline Localizati Mobile App Developer collaboration Mode on Support Manager Tools Support Cloudo Yes Yes Yes Yes eyeOs Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Ghost 5GB Yes Glide Up to 30GB Yes Yes Lucid 25MB Yes Yes Yes Yes OOS 1GB Yes Yes Yes Yes qWiki Office Yes SilveOs Yes Yes Yes iCloud Up to 3GB Yes Yes Yes Yes Jolicloud Yes Yes Yes myGOYA Yes ZimdeskOS Yes CorneliOS Yes Yes Yes Yes AstraNOS Yes Xindesk Yes Yes Starforce Yes Yes Yes Cloudo Yes Yes Yes Yes